The Arab Lobby

The Arab lobby in America is stronger than Israel’s, says a controversial new book.

While the media and politicians engage in frenzied debate about the virtues and vices of building—or preventing the building of—a Muslim community center (cum mosque) near the "sacred ground" of 9/11, Iran continues to build a nuclear weapon, as the Israelis and Palestinians take a tentative step toward building a peaceful resolution to their age-old conflict. Inevitably, whenever Middle East issues take center stage, the question of the role of lobbies, particularly those that advocate for foreign countries, becomes a hot topic. This book by longtime Middle East authority, Mitchell Bard, is a must read for anyone who cares—and who doesn't?—about the role of lobbies in influencing American policy in the Middle East. Its thesis, which is sure to be controversial, is easily summarized:

Yes Virginia, there is a big bad lobby that distorts US foreign policy in the Middle East way out of proportion to its actual support by the American public. Professors Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, author of the screed, The Israel Lobby, are right about that. But the offending lobby is not AIPAC, which supports Israel, but rather the Arab lobby, which opposes the Jewish state.

Both the pro-Israel and pro-Arab lobby (really lobbies because there are several for each) are indeed powerful but there is a big difference — a difference that goes to the heart of the role of lobbying in a democracy. Bard puts it this way:

With almost unlimited resources, they try to buy what they usually cannot win on the merits of their arguments.

"One of the most important distinguishing characteristics of the Arab lobby is that it has no popular support. While the Israeli lobby has hundreds of thousands of grass root members and public opinion polls consistently reveal a huge gap between support for Israel and the Arab nations/Palestinians, the Arab lobby has almost no foot soldiers or public sympathy. It's most powerful elements tend to be bureaucrats who represent only their personal views or what they believe are their institutional interests, and foreign governments that care only about their national interests, not those of the United States. What they lack in human capital in terms of American advocates, they make up for with almost unlimited resources to try to buy what they usually cannot win on the merits of their arguments."

The Arab Lobby: The Invisible Alliance That Undermines America’s Interests in the Middle East. By Mitchell Bard. 432 pages. Harper. $27.99. This is a critical distinction for a democracy. The case for Israel (though not for all of its policies) is an easy sell for pro-Israel lobbyists, especially elected representatives. Voting in favor of Israel is popular not only in areas with large concentration of Jewish voters, but throughout the country, because Israel is popular with Evangelical Christians in particular and with much, though certainly not all, of the public in general. Lobbies that reflect the will of the people are an important part of the democratic process. Thus, the American Association of Retired People (AARP), the principal lobbying group for the elderly, is extremely powerful because there are so many elderly people in this country who want to protect social security, Medicaid, and other benefits. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a powerful lobby precisely because so many Americans, for better or worse, love their guns. And The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a powerful lobby because Americans, in general, support the Middle East's only democracy and reliable American ally.

But why is the Arab lobby, and most particularly the Saudi lobby, also powerful? Saudi Arabia has virtually no support among Americans. Indeed, it is widely reviled for its export of terrorists such as Osama Bin Laden, its manipulation of oil prices, its anti-Christian and anti-Semitic policies, its total deprivation of any semblance of freedom of speech or dissent, and its primitive forms of punishment that include stoning and amputation. Yet, as Bard demonstrates, the Saudi lobby has beaten the pro-Israel lobby over and over again in head to head conflicts, such as the sale of sophisticated weapons to a regime that doesn't even have the technical skills to use them, and the conflict over whether to move the United States' Embassy to Jerusalem. Even now, Saudi Arabia is lobbying to obtain a multi-billion dollar arms deal , and it is likely to succeed over the objections of Israel.

How then does a lobby with no popular support manage to exert influence in a democratic country? The secret is very simple. The Arab lobby in general and the Saudis in particular make little effort to influence popularly elected public officials, particularly legislators. Again, listen to Bard:

"The Saudis have taken a different tact from the Israeli lobby, focusing a top-down rather than bottom-up approach to lobbying. As hired gun, J. Crawford Cook, wrote in laying out his proposed strategy for the kingdom, 'Saudi Arabia has a need to influence the few that influence the many, rather than the need to influence the many to whom the few must respond.'"

The Saudis spend enormous amounts of lucre to buy (or rent) former state department officials, diplomats, White House aides, and legislative leaders.

The primary means by which the Saudis exercise this influence is money. They spend enormous amounts of lucre to buy (or rent) former state department officials, diplomats, White House aides, and legislative leaders who become their elite lobbying corps. Far more insidiously, the Saudis let it be known that if current government officials want to be hired following their retirement from government service, they had better hue to the Saudi line while they are serving in our government. The former Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar, who was so close to the President George H.W. Bush that he referred to himself as "Bandar Bush," acknowledged the relationship between how a government official behaves while in office and how well he will be rewarded when he leaves office. "If the reputation then builds that the Saudis take care of friends when they leave office, you'd be surprised how much better friends you have when they are just coming into office."

Bard concludes from this well known quid pro quo that: "given the potential of these post-retirement opportunities, it would not be surprising if officials adopted positions while in government to make themselves marketable to the Arab lobby."

The methodology employed by the Arab lobby is thus totally inconsistent with democratic governance, because it does not reflect the will of the people but rather the corruption of the elite, while the Israeli lobby seems to operate within the parameters of democratic processes. Yet so much has been written about the allegedly corrosive nature of the Israeli lobby, while the powerful Arab lobby has widely escaped scrutiny and criticism. This important book thus contributes to the open marketplace of ideas by illuminating the dark side of the massive and largely undemocratic Arab lobbying efforts to influence American policy with regard to the Middle East.

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter professor of law at Harvard Law School, served as an attorney in several high-profile court cases, and is a sought-after commentator on the Arab–Israeli conflict. He is the author of some 25 books, including The Case for Israel.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 11

(10)
Anonymous,
September 4, 2010 2:41 PM

It has always been that whomever has the money, gets the lobbyists. They are of particularly "liar mentality" and will do anything that it takes to make the coveted large sums of money. Any and all presidents, their aids, the chiefs of staff, etc will and do go on to lobby and do it simply for the money. This is a world of covetous people and it sickens me. They will do anything for money. The sensory stench of a soul with no conscience equates the olfactory of human decomp. That is just about as low as one can go and still be walking around alive and not caring about anything except money and power. This is not a new concept.

(9)
tartour,
September 2, 2010 11:08 PM

batata lobby

hello salam i'm an algerian man i really want to have big lagh about this article arab lobby i'm arab algeiran i don't believe in one minut that we arab can have a lobby jewish are profession for this form long long time ago the since our father ibrahim the are made like this claver boys , we arabs we are too honest god made us like this .god has said in the quran he made benu israel people the best in the mind and brain but that why must of them they can't be honest .i love every body jewish or any one in the world i hate sahinisem salam shalom bye

Susan,
August 2, 2011 1:52 AM

Sad

Of all the things I could say to you about your ideas/beliefs, the only one that I think will make any impression on you is this: you say that you love everyone. including Jews - & yet you say that all Jews are dishonest, & that G-d made us that way. Think about how anyone could reconcile the 2 statements that you made. I don't know anyone who could - anyone who was honest, that is.

(8)
Jew in Japan,
August 30, 2010 3:01 AM

An important truth for everyone

I'm not a Zionist; I regularly criticize Israel. But it is crucial to acknowledge that the Saudi lobby is at least as powerful as the Israeli one, and both are on the receiving end of billions of dollars. If people believe that American politics is beholden to a Jewish conspiracy instead of a continuous, international power struggle, that will mean bad things for all American Jews.

(7)
Anonymous,
August 30, 2010 2:20 AM

The Palestinians keep the PR Fire hot on abuse and mistreatment--continual press releleases

There must be a continual release of PR info concerning the abuse and mistreatment of the Palestinians. The Israelis let this roll on by rather than inject negative reaction. The Israelis need to get ahead of those releases with demonstrated/verified events/info that would help offset the bad news of the Palestinian release. The world eats up the sad abuse tale-----they do not know of your efforts to make a common living area.

(6)
Marv8196,
August 30, 2010 1:45 AM

Arab Lobby

It is so interesting (again) that the normal medial outlets do not or will not cover this issue. We have a real problem here and it is not Israel. Saudis with their corrupting influence is making a mockery of our system. But the truth be known, the Saudis have been good students of our home grown corrupters. The evil genie is out in the open.

(5)
Stanley Finkelstein,
August 29, 2010 9:14 PM

Does the book touted list/mention the names of those who are in the Arab lobby? Ihaven't read the book but would be willing to purchase it assuming it is more than fluff.

(4)
TMay,
August 29, 2010 7:00 PM

Mr and Mrs President

Well considering the millions of dollars that President Bill Clinton has been receiving since leaving office for speeches in the Arab world, I think Jewish Americans should keep it in mind in the 2012 election, especially since the pointless and misdirected arm twisting of Israel by the state department under President Obama is headed by Hillary, and especially since the state department is paying for Rauf's Middle East tour, and he is the man trying to build the ground zero mosque/community center.
As well I think Americans should wake up and see that the Saudis have been contributing to presidential libraries, the bequest to be made at the end of the presidency with the promise made during the presidency, and that this can have a corrupting influence.
As well I do not like the trend of the husband wife team where one serves and then is paid by petrodollars in huge amounts and then the wife runs which is rife with the possibility of corruption. If a woman is going to be president of the US, in order to be meaningful, I think she should be the first in her family or the only one to be a political leader, like Golda Meir and like Margaret Thatcher were. If people want a woman presidency to be the real thing, the woman should have gotten there on her own accord.

(3)
Joseph,
August 29, 2010 5:50 PM

Lawsuits stopped

Lawsuits were called off from the 9/11 hijackers because they were Saudis. If you really think Saudis control too much, do something about it.

(2)
Anonymous,
August 29, 2010 5:38 PM

And who in the U.S. is backing them and giving them the support they need? Otherwise they wouldn't have a voice, all a deaf ear to them.

(1)
ruth housman,
August 29, 2010 4:36 PM

people who believe

It seems in life that money has that corrupting force and will make believers out of those who have objections. Somehow they practice a kind of denial, which is the nail in the process of bringing about peace, and it also seems that hatred, and the notion of one group being "special" brings about demagoguery of all kinds. There is this very upsetting quality to human nature.
There is a lobby where people wait, and where people mingle,, another use of the word. For me, it's been an eternal waiting game for right to out, meaning to broker a peace that is truly about this inchoate word, love, respect, and the notion of we're all in it together, as in, the family of man.

We have a canistel (or eggfruit) tree our backyard which we’d like to get rid of. We do not eat its fruit, and the fruit and leaves make a constant mess. I haven’t found anyone who is interested in its fruit – even to take it from us for free. I would like to replace it with an orange tree (we live in Miami). Is there any problem doing so?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

The Torah actually writes specifically that we may not cut down fruit trees (Deuteronomy 20:19-20). From this the Sages learn a more general principle that one may not purposelessly waste or destroy anything of value – food, good utensils, clothes, etc. (see e.g. Talmud Baba Kama 91b, Shabbat 140b).

The Talmud (Baba Kama 91-92) distinguishes that whenever there is a legitimate reason, one may cut down a fruit tree – if it damages other trees or plants, if it’s not productive and not worth its upkeep, if it’s more valuable for the wood, etc. The commentators include in this dispensation when ones needs the space the tree is growing on (Rosh Baba Kama 8:15).

There is, however, a frightening line in the Talmud there which makes people much more hesitant to rely on the above leniency. Rabbi Chanina stated that his son died young as a punishment for his cutting a fig tree before its time. Thus apart from the legal issue of destroying a productive tree, this law appears to carry with it severe Divine retribution.

Most authorities explain that this punishment is incurred only if a person cuts down a fruit tree without legitimate reason, but there is a minority opinion that it is incurred even if the tree is cut with good reason.

As a result, even in cases where a legitimate reason applies, people generally take an extra precaution of first selling the tree to a non-Jew, and having a non-Jew do the actual cutting. (The entire prohibition does not apply to non-Jews.) Your case is also better in that you are cutting one fruit tree to plant another, more productive one. Even with all of this, it’s preferable, if possible, to leave a part of the original tree intact.

In 1942, Hitler devised a plan for a Museum of Judaism, to remember the dead Jewish religion, culture and people. Millions of Jewish treasures -- Torah scrolls, ritual objects, books and art -- were looted by the Nazis and taken to warehouses. In Czechoslovakia, the objects were taken to the Jewish Museum in Prague, where the Jews themselves were forced to sort, label, and pack the items for use in the Nazi's future museum. After the war, many of these items were recovered, including thousands of Torah scrolls and nearly one million books. These were distributed to Jewish communities worldwide, as a living testimony to the indestructibility of the Jewish people.

One who humiliates another person in public ... even though he may be a scholar and may have done many good deeds, nevertheless loses his portion in the eternal world (Ethics of the Fathers 3:15).

Imagine a situation: you have a fine home, a well-paying job, a comfortable car, and a substantial retirement annuity. If you do a single thoughtless act, you will lose everything you have worked to achieve: home, job, car, and savings. What kind of precautions would you take to avoid even the remotest possibility of incurring such a disaster? Without doubt, you would develop an elaborate system of defenses to assure that this event would never occur.

The Talmud tells us that everything we have worked for during our entire lives can be forfeited in one brief moment of inconsideration: we embarrass another person in public. Perhaps we may say something insulting or make a demeaning gesture. Regardless of how it occurs, the Talmud states that if we cause another person to turn pale because of being humiliated in public, we have committed the equivalent of bloodshed.

Still, we allow our tongues to wag so easily. If we give serious thought to the words of the Talmud, we would exercise the utmost caution in public and be extremely sensitive to other people's feelings, lest an unkind word or degrading gesture deprive us of all our spiritual merits.

Today I shall...

try to be alert and sensitive to other people's feelings and take utmost caution not to cause anyone to feel humiliated.

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